


it's like catching lightning (the chances of finding someone like you).

by junfhongs



Category: NU'EST
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fire Emblem Fusion, Ballroom Dancing, Blue Lions Minhyun, Coming of Age, Crushes, Golden Deer Jonghyun, M/M, Slow Burn, Teenagers, White Heron Cup (Fire Emblem), fire emblem: three houses au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:47:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23684881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junfhongs/pseuds/junfhongs
Summary: Fire Emblem: Three Houses!AU. Minhyun was just another kid, another noble brat who wanted to get his year in the Officers Academy over with. Unfortunately for him, his good looks and his professor's secret vendetta—Minhyun couldswearthat Professor Chiyeol had it out for him—landed him as the class representative for the White Heron Cup, aballroom dancing competition.Minhyun knew he'd be falling over a couple dozen times, but he didn't think he'd start falling for his competitor. Curse his long limbs— and his pathetic teenage heart.
Relationships: Hwang Minhyun/Kim Jonghyun | JR
Comments: 12
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

"Fucking hell," Dongho mumbled when Minhyun tied his armor a little too tight around his forearms. "I can't breathe in this shit."

Minhyun tapped against the heavy armor and shrugged. "Well, Professor Chiyeol's going to kick your ass if you don't start training with that this week."

Dongho groaned and tried to slump in his armor, but the straps around his torso kept him upright and dug even deeper into his flesh. "I hate this. I hate _all of this._ " Dongho grabbed a training axe from the rack and walked to the practice dummies, ready to decimate whatever stood in his path.

Minhyun was content with sitting by the weapon rack, sharpening his lance with a whetstone. He could make the blacksmith down by the marketplace do this, but he… uh, he wasn't looking forward to seeing the smith's daughter so soon _._

 _Look,_ this was all just some big misunderstanding. Minhyun wasn't _flirting_ with her; he didn't even recall asking her out for dinner! But the way she stormed towards him by the fishing pond while he was taking his morning stroll told him he had committed yet another grave offense against some girl who he really— he wasn't interested in any of them! He was just nice! Why was that such a difficult concept for people to grasp? Was it because he was too handsome? Too high and mighty with his noble status that even a simple act of kindness couldn't be interpreted for what it was: Minhyun being a decent human being?

Before he knew it, his lance was more than sharpened; it was pretty much useless in this state. Minhyun sighed, quietly placed it back on the weapons rack, and hoped that no one noticed him. Unfortunately for him, a certain Ong Seongwu arrived just in time to witness his crime, his smug smile only emphasized by the clicking of his tongue and shaking of his head.

"You're going to have to pay for that," he said, and Minhyun sighed before waving him away, not in the mood to be antagonized by his… _rival_ of sorts here in the academy. Seongwu was from a different class, but he and Minhyun always had the same skills, were always compared by their peers and professors alike.

Minhyun didn't like competition. He was just here to learn, just to say that his family had yet another graduate from the Officers Academy, someone who would be good enough to be the lord of their territory. This was— everything was just an _obligation;_ why did they have to attach some stupid comparison to make Minhyun's life even more difficult?

"Not today, Seongwu," he mumbled. Thankfully, Seongwu was always a good sport, and every time Minhyun was reminded that disliking him wasn't one of his many obligations, a pang of guilt would hit him at his core.

Minhyun left the training grounds, expertly avoiding Dongho's gaze as he slipped out. Minhyun yawned and stretched his arms over his head, his uniform stretching with his motions. The campus was a little quieter than usual today, probably because there weren't any lectures today, so all students were either catching up on rest or staying as _far away as possible_ from the training grounds of _hell_ that most students spent a lot of their days in.

It was nice, though. Minhyun was usually with Dongho or his other classmates for most of his days but being alone wasn't very common for him. Being alone gave him the time and space and _quiet_ to think about…

… about how much he fucking _hated_ this place.

Still, Minhyun put on his usual pleasant but aloof face and walked towards the dining hall, hoping not to run into anyone he knew. Unfortunately for him, the _one_ person who he _really_ didn't like seeing on his days off magically appeared out of thin air.

"Professor," said Minhyun, a tight smile gracing his face, his drawl dripping with discomfort. "Ah— before you make me do anything, it's a _Sunday._ I'm legally allowed to take a break."

Chiyeol laughed and clapped him on the back. "Can't I take a walk with my favorite student?"

Minhyun's eyes narrowed. "You're suspicious, and I run faster than you, professor." He paused before following in Chiyeol's direction. "Also I know Dongho's your favorite, don't lie to me."

Chiyeol laughed again, full-bodied and loud, loud enough to make Minhyun cringe. "Oh, come on, Minhyun. I admire each of you in my own way, but I have to admit I have favorites. Seungcheol is a very capable, very upstanding leader, Dongho has so much potential, if he really worked at it," Minhyun chuckled at his many memories of Dongho's complaints about their professor, "and _you,_ Minhyun, are very… charming, in a lot of ways."

"Don't flatter me, professor. I'm not falling for it." Minhyun crossed his arms in front of his chest. "What's this really about?"

They turned and stopped at the reception hall, where Chiyeol placed a hand on Minhyun's. "A very tall, handsome young man. Dashing. A… uh, a lady killer, if I could say so myself." At Minhyun's unamused expression, Chiyeol sighed and gave up. "I chose you as your class representative for the White Heron Cup."

Minhyun blinked. "The _what_ now?"

"It's, um, an interclass competition. A dance competition." Chiyeol winced at the way Minhyun's eyes widened. "A ballroom dance competition." He cleared his through. "And it's happening next week."

 _"Professor,"_ he said with the deepest voice he could manage at the age of twenty. The pure shock and simmering anger on his face gave him extra leverage to tower over the professor, even if he was shorter than him by a few inches in reality. "You can't be serious!"

Chiyeol laughed again, so loud and hearty that it made a few birds fly off their perch. The way he clapped Minhyun's back was aggressive, _borderline abusive,_ much like this clear attack on Minhyun's dignity. "Look, I chose you because you're the best looking one in your class! Isn't that a… a compliment?" He sighed at Minhyun's unwavering anger. "I'll guide you through it all. Even Professor Kahi will be mentoring you. You have _nothing_ to worry about!"

Minhyun swallowed the lump in his throat— along with the overwhelming urge to punch someone in the face. His first instinct would have been his professor, but he wasn't looking forward to being suspended over _this._

This, by the way, was Minhyun's worst nightmare: his classmates finding out that he was going to be _dancing_ for all of them to watch.

The endless bout of laughter started, surprisingly _,_ with Kaeun, not Dongho. _"You? Dancing?"_ She doubled over and leaned against Yaebin who eventually broke into laughter herself, wheezing at the thought of Minhyun in—

"Something sparkly, maybe?" Hansol draped a scarf over Minhyun's head. "Use it as, uh, a prop, perhaps ?"

"Oh, I love that for audience impact!" Yaebin giggled and covered her face with her hands, afraid of Minhyun's blank face growing darker and darker at each passing moment.

Minhyun hastily pulled off the scarf and crumpled it in his fist. " _First of all,_ this is a ballroom competition, so there'll be no— yeah, yeah, laugh it off, I'm dancing in a _ballroom competition,_ sure, go for it." Minhyun levelled his glare at his professor. "Why do you hate me? What have I done to you?" he deadpanned.

"It's nothing personal, Minhyun." Chiyeol tapped his pointer against the blackboard. "Now, if everyone is done torturing our dear representative, could you kindly pay attention to the map on the board?"

Minhyun was flitting in and out of class all day, mentally at the very least. His first session with the professors and the other representatives was happening later today, and he wasn't looking forward to meeting the competition and then _dancing in front of them._ God, what was Professor Chiyeol even thinking?

Still, enduring the embarrassment from his classmates was the first trial. As soon as classes were dismissed, Chiyeol whisked him away and trapped him in the gardens, along with the other participants.

"I think they're complete," Professor Boa said, moving aside to let Kahi take over the practice.

"Well, congratulations, kids. You're been chosen to represent your class in the Academy's yearly tradition. This is not just about the dancing; this is about grace, beauty, elegance." Kahi glanced at her clipboard. "Hwang Minhyun of the Blue Lions," Minhyun nodded somberly, "Zhou Jieqiong of the Black Eagles," she smiled at her professor, "and Kim Jonghyun of the Golden Deer."

Though Minhyun was acquainted with everyone in his batch at the Academy, this was his first time directly interacting with the leader of the Golden Deer, Jonghyun. He was… smaller than Minhyun expected, though he was probably the same height as Seungcheol. No, it wasn't the height; it was the demeanor. Maybe Minhyun just respected Seungcheol by default, and Nayoung, the leader of the Black Eagles, had a mysterious aura around her that did make her seem like a leader.

Jonghyun was quiet, but not commanding silence from others. When Minhyun saw him in the dining hall with his classmates, he talked to them, laughed with them as if there were nothing separating them by rank or status. Maybe that was how people from the Alliance really were, but Minhyun always found himself observing Jonghyun from afar.

This time, he could watch from up close.

But before that… "Your footwork, Hwang." Kahi's eagle eyes were watching their every move. "Don't look down, keep your head up and your elbows lifted."

 _Easier said than done,_ Minhyun thought to himself as his neck started aching at the awkward angle he tried to maintain the entire time. Chiyeol approached Minhyun with a pained expression on his face. "Do you… need a partner?"

Minhyun glanced at the other representatives and saw how Kahi was guiding Jieqiong while Boa and Jonghyun were laughing as they awkwardly spun around the gardens. Minhyun mirrored Chiyeol's pain. "Please don't dance with me, I _will_ drop out."

Now that he was aware of it, Minhyun noticed how the other two were clearly leagues ahead of him. Jieqiong was naturally graceful, looked beautiful partnered with Professor Kahi, who was surprisingly as graceful as her student. Boa and Jonghyun were still getting over the awkwardness of being a man and woman in such a position, but Minhyun clearly saw Jonghyun's clean movements and the power in each step he took.

Meanwhile, Minhyun was still warming up to the footwork, trying to move with the music instead of the counting in his head. Sure, he could be graceful, and his long limbs helped with that, but they also got in the way at times and his brain could only keep track of one half of his body at a time.

Eventually, this nightmare ended, and Minhyun slumped against a bench in exhaustion— and embarrassment, obviously. "Good job, everyone. We'll leave the rest of the practice to you at your own time." Chiyeol flashed a thumbs up at Minhyun, but Minhyun was _not_ in the mood to reciprocate right now.

Minhyun leaned back and closed his eyes, the sun starting to set and making way for the night sky. His peaceful moment was interrupted by someone tapping his shoulder, a certain Kim Jonghyun who smiled and handed Minhyun a canteen full of water. "See you around," he said, smile reaching his eyes as he walked away.

How… how did he do that? How was he always doing that, always smiling, always working hard and keeping his class in line without even breaking a sweat?

Minhyun sighed and walked back to his room, excited to relax for the rest of the night. Professor Chiyeol's readings could wait; for now, all he wanted to do was take a bath and pass out.

———

Minhyun was, in fact, unable to pass out, not when flashbacks of him tripping over himself and stumbling through the steps kept playing in his mind every time he closed his eyes. His professor assured him that it was _okay;_ these two had a little more practice with dancing back in their hometowns, that's all. Minhyun was just behind in terms of experience, but practice could fix that in time!

Chiyeol's optimism was a lost cause. Minhyun sat up on his bed and groaned into his palms. His legs, despite being exhausted from his regular training along with the constant movements of the waltz, were itching to go out, to do _something_ instead of kicking at his bedframe in frustration every time his memories betrayed him.

Minhyun laced up his boots, put on a coat, and walked out into the chilly night air of the campus. It was a huge place, very old, and with an austere atmosphere that always made Minhyun feel stuffy. It was nice at night, though, with little to no people around except for the guards at their posts. Minhyun nodded at the gatekeeper as he walked around and felt a little creeped out at the sight of the empty marketplace in front of the gates.

He went to the stables and smiled when he peeked into his horse's stall and found him sleeping. He brought that horse with him from his hometown, one of the horses he had been riding since he was a little boy. Minhyun didn't usually feel homesickness, but a little part of him was itching to run away right now— at least until this competition nonsense was over.

Minhyun started walking back to his room, taking a longer route than usual to calm himself down a little more. He passed by the classrooms and was surprised to find light spilling out of the Golden Deer classroom. Indulging his curiosity, Minhyun peeked inside the window and found Kim Jonghyun, turning and dipping at the faint sound of music that Minhyun could hear from outside the thick walls of the classroom.

He was alone with his thoughts, so Minhyun allowed himself to admit that Jonghyun was… beautiful, really. He was serious in every movement but allowed himself to smile a little every time he got a difficult step right or when he enjoyed a particular move. For Minhyun, this was an obligation, but Jonghyun actually looked like he enjoyed it.

A surge of courage rose up in Minhyun's chest. _Now or never,_ he told himself as he opened the door and leaned against it as he closed it behind him. Jonghyun stopped, eyes wide, music still playing in the background. "Hi," he whispered, a little breathy with exertion. There was no trace of embarrassment on his face, as if he had been expecting Minhyun for a while now. _That_ made Minhyun blush; did Jonghyun catch him in the act earlier? "Don't tell me… are you scouting the competition already?"

Minhyun let out a hearty chuckle, smiling to himself while Jonghyun turned off the gramophone. "Not really. And don't worry; I'm barely considered competition compared to you." This time, it was Jonghyun who laughed, still panting to catch his breath. "You're really, really good, by the way."

"Thanks," said Jonghyun, blush on his cheeks likely from more than just his dancing. Now _that_ was a surprise. "It was a hobby, growing up. Liked it more than etiquette classes, at least." Minhyun could imagine that, seeing how Jonghyun was comfortable with people from all walks of life. Other _snobby_ nobles couldn't relate— though Minhyun didn't want to drop any names.

"You know," Jonghyun wiped the sweat off his forehead with a towel, "if you catch me next time, maybe we can practice together." He smirked, and Minhyun narrowed his eyes at what was coming next. "If you can keep up with me, that is."

"I—" Minhyun shook his head, brushing off the comment as a jest. Seeing the way Jonghyun's shoulders shook as he turned away, Minhyun was pleased to find that he was a recipient of Jonghyun's less serious side for once. "I really will take you up on that, though. Best of luck to your toes; I'll be stepping on them. A _lot_."

Jonghyun, even in his exhaustion, found the energy to beam at Minhyun, placing a hand on his arm as he walked past him. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then. Good night, Hwang Minhyun."

"Good night," Minhyun whispered, skin tingling where Jonghyun's hand stayed.

As he walked back to his room, for _sure_ this time, Minhyun felt himself growing more and more restless. Somehow, there was a spring in his step, moving in time with the music playing in his mind. It sounded a lot like the ballroom music that they practiced with earlier, but Minhyun could hear the faint sound of a soft chuckle guiding him through the movements, like a warm hand that rested on his arm.

Minhyun stared at his bedroom ceiling and huffed. _No point in thinking about that now,_ he told himself, though his restless sleep and vague dreams seemed to pull him and spin him around in time with that same music, with the same laughter warming him to his bones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO i've been obsessed with fe3h for months now and i just . needed to put my two fandoms together okay forgive me  
> there's a lot of world building (or world explaining?) that i have to do +++ all the characters in each of the houses that i still have to introduce somehow huhu 
> 
> pls wish me good luck as i start another multichap and end up not finishing it lfds;ladfs fingers crossed !!!!!  
> i mean most of us stuck in quarantine anyway ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ so i probably will have the time to write abt this and cry over this for the next few weeks (or months huhuhuhu)
> 
> title from High School Musical 3 - Can I Have This Dance LMAO
> 
> follow me on [twitter (@amenochieien)](https://twitter.com/amenochieien) or talk to me on [curiouscat (/amenochieien)](https://curiouscat.me/amenochieien)!!


	2. Chapter 2

"Your Highness?!"

Minhyun jolted awake as Jisoo barged into the library. The monk fixed Jisoo with a stern glare as he approached, and he bowed profusely as he looked around for the prince. Minhyun sighed and tugged at Jisoo's tunic. "Hey!" Jisoo said, voice still a little too loud for the library. He ducked to avoid the old monk's fury. "Have you seen Seungcheol?" he whispered, voice shaking as he held a letter in his other hand. The royal seal on the envelope told enough of the story for Minhyun to figure out.

He chuckled and shook his head. "He was with me about half an hour ago, before I fell asleep. He said he was going to the gazebo to read outside; have you checked there yet?"

"What do you think?" Jisoo replied curtly. Minhyun feigned hurt and turned away from him, enjoying the way Jisoo immediately came back to his senses and took a seat beside Minhyun to apologize to him. "I'm sorry, really. It's just—" Jisoo groaned into his thick cloak, wary of the monk that was still glaring daggers at the back of his head. "I'm his retainer, not his— his _nanny._ " Jisoo gingerly put the envelope down on the table. "Or his mailman, for that matter."

Minhyun laughed and took the envelope, tracing Seungcheol's family crest in the wax seal. Despite how casually they referred to him—which Seungcheol _ordered_ them to do, by the way—outside the Academy, he was their _prince._ Minhyun didn't know how a boy his age who often walked into their classroom with sleep in his eyes and an equally sleepy Jisoo trailing behind him could be the crown prince he was going to swear his life and land to one day, but he made up for that in the battlefield.

Chiyeol was exactly right; Seungcheol was a very capable leader. It was crazy to see such a nice guy be almost superhumanly powerful in battle, but Minhyun was just grateful that he wasn't on the other side of Seungcheol's axe.

Jisoo sighed and took the envelope again. Standing up made the chair scrape against the hardwood floor, and the cranky monk looked just about ready to chase Jisoo out of the library. Jisoo winced and bowed once again. "I'll go check again. Thanks, Minhyun!" he whispered before scuttling away before the monk could exact revenge on him.

Minhyun stretched his arms over his head and stared at the book he was supposed to be reading instead of napping. It was a novel that Seongwu recommended, about a valiant knight and their journey to restore their honor. On a bad day, Minhyun would have interpreted that as a jab on his not-so knightly qualities. Today, it just seemed like a pretty good book and a solid recommendation, even if Minhyun's awful night of sleep kept him from getting too far into the book.

He glanced at the clock. Half past three in the afternoon. _What a waste of a day._ What was he supposed to do now?

Minhyun's mind went back to Seungcheol. He was strong, fast, and levelheaded on the battlefield. In the classroom, he was a good house leader, a good friend, a good prince. Seungcheol had _purpose,_ but even if his life was pretty much laid out in front of him, he still worked hard in every aspect of it.

But Minhyun? He had a title, knew his life was planned out for him, but here he was, taking naps in the library instead of using the study period Professor Chiyeol specifically gave for them to study for his exams next week.

Was it his fault he was demotivated? Was it his fault he couldn't force himself to care about this when he knew he was going to end up as the lord of his land, whether he liked it or not?

Minhyun sighed. The least he could do was train; that was at least _mildly_ interesting enough for him.

As soon as he arrived at the training grounds, Minhyun was surprised to see Jonghyun alone, hacking away at a worn training dummy. Jonghyun glanced at the entrance when he heard the large wooden doors open. Minhyun didn't like the way his heart leapt at Jonghyun's little smile.

"Surprised to see you so soon." Jonghyun stopped attacking the dummy and brushed the dust off his shins. "I thought training was tonight?"

Minhyun smiled and shook his head. "I'm doing a different kind of training for now, hopefully something I'm a lot better at than dancing." Minhyun shuddered at the thought and welcomed the bright ring of Jonghyun's laughter. Minhyun walked over to the rack and picked up a lance, but he felt a chill at the back of his neck when he saw Jonghyun's stance as he walked back to the ring.

Jonghyun's smile and the way he tapped his finger on his chin must have been attempts at disarming Minhyun, but he wasn't going to buy it. "You know, we've never actually trained here at the same time." Jonghyun looked around. "And we seem to be alone."

"Yes, and…?" Why was Minhyun so _nervous?_ His lance even slipped from his grasp for a moment.

"Spar with me." And _now,_ Minhyun understood the sparkle in Jonghyun's eyes. There was a challenge in the way he smirked, the way he twirled his sword around as if it were nothing.

Minhyun rolled his head around, stretching in anticipation. "I don't think this is a fair fight," he mumbled, reaching forward with his lance to poke Jonghyun's leg, a safe distance away from his sword. "I would _never_ put you at a disadvantage for my own gain, swear on my family's name." Minhyun placed his hand on his chest and bowed, but as he lifted his head, he felt the tip of Jonghyun's sword against his neck.

"Don't bare your weak points to an opponent." Minhyun could almost hear the smirk in Jonghyun's voice. "Did Professor Chiyeol not teach you that on the first day?"

"Apparently unlike Professor Boa, he actually taught us some _honorable_ tactics." Minhyun grunted as he swept his lance forward to strike Jonghyun's shins. Jonghyun parried it with his blade, and this allowed Minhyun to step back and take a fighting stance with his lance. "I guess not all fights will be fair in the battlefield."

"And not all fighters will be of the same caliber." Jonghyun's grin dropped as he started striking at Minhyun, instantly going on the offense as Minhyun parried and circled back in shock at his speed. "Don't be— bitter, Minhyun. You can reach me, sure, but you'll never get a hold of me."

Somehow, Minhyun was doubtful of both of those things. There was something… _deadly_ about the way Jonghyun sparred. Something sinister, something desperate, something completely unlike the traditional movement styles that they were taught by their professors. It made Jonghyun seem like a worn-out warrior— or a deadly assassin that was waiting in the shadows.

With each of Jonghyun's taunts—some of them directed towards Minhyun's fighting style while others dissed the lackluster education Minhyun _must_ have been getting based on how he fought—Minhyun's view on Jonghyun was growing hazier and hazier. Where did he get all this experience? Why did it seem like the spark in his eyes was on a different dimension from the gentle smile on his face?

All these thoughts kept Minhyun from giving his all, and he found himself on the dusty grounds of the training ring when he was distracted by the sweat trailing down Jonghyun's neck for a split second. _"Yield,"_ huffed Jonghyun as the tip of his sword pressed against Minhyun's throat.

"I— yield." The sword bobbed up and down as Minhyun swallowed the lump in his throat.

Jonghyun grinned, put his sword away, and offered Minhyun a helping hand. "Huh. I didn't think it would be that easy," he said with a smirk.

"Oh, don't give me that—" Minhyun grabbed Jonghyun's hand and pulled him down, and Jonghyun's tired legs immediately gave in. He collapsed right beside Minhyun, the two of them laughing as they panted and stared up at the ceiling. "I put up a fight, you have to give me that."

"You lasted more than five minutes." Jonghyun shrugged nonchalantly, but as soon as he turned to face Minhyun, they greeted each other with shy but bright smiles. It felt… pretty nice. "Let's hope you're better at dancing than you are at sparring."

Minhyun's face paled, starkly reminded of the cursed day that was approaching and this one-on-one training where Minhyun _knew_ he was going to embarrass himself further. "Trust me; I'm a hundred—no, a _thousand_ —percent worse at that. Really, just— oh god."

Jonghyun laughed and shook his head. "Hey, you weren't _that_ bad when we first practiced." Minhyun felt eyes trailing over his body, finally landing on his face where they seemed to linger with a little more gentleness in the gaze. "I'm looking forward to it, really. Later after dinner, my classroom?"

"Can't wait," Minhyun said through gritted teeth, and Jonghyun left him there on the ground with his warm laughter ringing in Minhyun's ear for the rest of the day.

———

Minhyun didn't know what to do when he arrived at the Golden Deer classroom. He stared at the contraption on the desk, some new technology from the Empire that could play music at the press of a button. He pressed something, fiddled with the knobs, but the sound of the door opening made him jump back in shock.

Jonghyun tilted his head in curiosity, smiling at the redness in Minhyun's ears. "Having trouble with the gramophone?"

"I— I live in the far north of the Kingdom. We don't have this yet, I think." Minhyun took a step back, sheepish and embarrassed, but Jonghyun walked towards the machine and brought Minhyun to take a look with a brush of his fingers against Minhyun's.

"Come on, watch so you can start without me next time."

Minhyun's feet felt glued to the floor, unable to move at the thought of huddling close to Jonghyun or even just standing near him now— which was _weird,_ by the way. Now he was thinking of dancing—dancing _with_ Jonghyun—and his whole body felt paralyzed. "Uh, I—"

Jonghyun's brows furrowed as he took Minhyun's wrist and tugged him closer. The touch broke the spell, reminded Minhyun that he was a _real_ human being who had another very _real_ person staring at him oddly, a lopsided smile on his face as he waited for Minhyun to get his shit together.

"Yeah, alright, sorry." Minhyun peeked at the machine and watched Jonghyun explain its inner workings, things that flew straight into Minhyun's ear and out from the other.

"You can start the record again using the needle here, then crank this, and—" The music coming from the machine was a little too loud from up close, but Minhyun found himself smiling at it, amazed at technology and how it evolved into creating something like this. "Cool, right?" Jonghyun's eyes were soft as Minhyun nodded at him. "Now— let's start."

Minhyun's wonder quickly dropped from his face. This time, he got a glimpse of the Jonghyun from the training grounds again, his kind smile belying the competitive glint in his eyes. Minhyun fell in line with him, following the steps they learned together while observing the way Jonghyun moved.

It was… so _clean_. Powerful movements moving perfectly in sync with the music, while Minhyun was left in the dust, just a hair off the beat with his long limbs and fluid movements. Jonghyun didn't seem to notice, lost in his own dancing as they finished the movements one after the other.

Minhyun collapsed on a chair as soon as he finished the last step, lifting a canteen to his lips as he greedily took a gulp. Jonghyun leaned on the desk and wiped his sweat with a towel. "Interesting," Jonghyun mumbled breathily. Minhyun offered the water to him, and Jonghyun took it with a grateful bow.

"What's interesting? The fact that I'm very clearly going to lose to you next week?" Self-deprecation was useful in this situation; Jonghyun just laughed it off and punched Minhyun's arm lightly in response.

Jonghyun hummed thoughtfully. "A part of me wants to teach you further, but the other part of me is _really_ looking forward to winning."

"So _you're_ the one who's scouting the competition now, huh?" Minhyun rolled his eyes before resting his head on the table. "You go ahead, I'll take a nap."

"Nope," said Jonghyun, now standing and tugging on Minhyun's sleeve. "Come on, I want to help you out."

Minhyun groaned, burying his head further in his arms to hide his face. He didn't want to show Jonghyun his smile, didn't want him to know that he liked seeing Jonghyun poke and prod at him. "That's not what you said, like, ten seconds ago."

"I'm an angel, Minhyun. Didn't you know that?" Minhyun turned his head to look at Jonghyun and caught him with the warm candlelight bouncing off his hair, his skin damp with sweat but still glowing with the dim source of light coming from behind him.

 _You sure look like one,_ Minhyun thought to himself. He quickly brushed that thought away as Jonghyun guided him to the starting pose, picking up on the little bad habits that Minhyun had as he danced earlier. It was kind of amazing, Jonghyun's keen eye picking that up even as he was focused on his own performance.

Jonghyun's hands were… warm as he guided Minhyun throughout the routine: lifting elbows slightly, helping him bend his knees, tilting his head, brushing his hair away as it fell into his eyes. And then at some point, he clicked his tongue, shook his head, and placed a hand on Minhyun's shoulder and the other in Minhyun's grasp, guiding him as a partner.

Jonghyun smiled softly as his hand settled in Minhyun's—clammy! very clammy, very shaky!—hold. "Hope you don't mind. You never practiced with a partner, so you've never had a guide on those little details." Minhyun was bewildered, but he had no choice as Jonghyun started guiding him through the steps.

"You're… good at dancing," Minhyun mumbled, eyes widening as his breath ruffled Jonghyun's hair slightly. He was— they were close! So close! _Too close,_ but Minhyun wasn't going to let Jonghyun know how fast his heart was beating right now. "I mean, good at the partner's part. Not just the lead."

Jonghyun chuckled at that— though Minhyun couldn't enjoy the sound of his soft laughter when Jonghyun furrowed his brows and remembered to place Minhyun's other hand on his waist, pulling them even closer together. "My older sisters and I used to take dance classes together, growing up. I practiced with them a lot and eventually picked up the steps after watching them so much."

Minhyun liked the way Jonghyun looked when he talked about his sisters. His eyes looked glassy, like they were staring at the far horizon and not the threads of Minhyun's uniform. "I didn't know you had sisters," Minhyun blurted out instead.

Jonghyun shrugged, his mind now far from the dance as they started simply swaying to the music. "Well, they're just a bit older than me, but my father never sent them to the Academy. Said it wasn't necessary since he had a son already, someone who was going to inherit his title when the time came." Minhyun couldn't read Jonghyun's expression. "He married them off as soon as he could."

Minhyun knew resentment when he heard it. He pulled away from Jonghyun and sat in a chair, this time a little less exhausted than earlier. Jonghyun didn't seem to complain, leaning back against the desk with the record player while simply letting the music play.

"Don't judge me, okay?" Minhyun rubbed the back of his neck as Jonghyun regarded him curiously. "I… don't really get how the Alliance works. You don't have a king? Or an emperor?"

Jonghyun smirked at the honest curiosity on Minhyun's face. "You _clearly_ don't listen when your professor's discussing history, do you?"

"I listen! Not always, but I do study…" Minhyun huffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Jonghyun sighed and looked as if he was deep in thought. "The Alliance is composed of lords and noble houses who have banded together under the leading house; mine, essentially. I can't exactly rule over them the way a king would, but my word and my decisions are given greater importance among all the lords. I’m more of a leader, not a ruler."

For some reason, Minhyun understood that immediately. He saw it in the way Jonghyun interacted with the others in his house and how they had such a different dynamic compared to the other classes. Unlike Seungcheol, who stood above the rest of them no matter how hard he tried to bridge that gap, Jonghyun stood _with_ his classmates— but perhaps slightly ahead of them.

"You know," Jonghyun's stare turned pensive, just a tinge, "people usually know more about who I'm supposed to be, not who I actually am."

"Are you… not who you're supposed to be?" asked Minhyun— though immediately after saying that, he felt like hitting himself for sounding like a damn _idiot._

Surprisingly, Jonghyun regarded that question seriously, his eyes glossing over yet again. "I guess I am. Everything I’m supposed to be… that's me," he said. Still, he didn't seem satisfied by his own answer. "But…"

"But there's more to you than just that." Minhyun stretched his arms over his head, saying words that pierced through Jonghyun's heart as if it were nothing. He stared up at the ceiling. "It's nice that you're so good at what you're supposed to be good at, that you know what that is and just… live up to it."

"Are you saying you don't?"

So this was what Jonghyun must have felt when Minhyun asked him that question earlier. It kind of felt like being under a spotlight, forced to confront your identity and your whole life in a conversation that likely wasn't supposed to dig this deep into them like this.

Minhyun settled on a quiet, "I don't know." He sighed, still avoiding Jonghyun's eyes. "I don't really know what I'm supposed to be, and I don't know if that even matters."

They stayed quiet for a while, not until Jonghyun broke the silence with another bout of soft laughter, though there seemed to be some genuine mirth in it now. "You'd think being stuck in an expensive academy with a bunch of nobles and war-hungry kids would inflate our sense of self-importance, but—" Now they both found themselves chuckling as the music faded out.

Another funny thought crossed Minhyun's mind. "If I recall correctly, I'm pretty sure we only started talking yesterday." Sure, Minhyun was still flustered whenever Jonghyun was near him, but talking to him felt like completely different; it felt nice.

The laughter now ringing in Minhyun's ears told him that Jonghyun thought the same. "I guess I don't really feel like talking about all these things with the people who will probably be looking up to me in a few years." Jonghyun played with the hem of his tunic. "And I'm guessing you don't want people to know that you… think about these things?"

"I can't let them know I'm more than just a pretty face." Jonghyun openly laughed at that one now, full-bodied and warmer than ever. Whatever ice was between them earlier tonight was completely gone, making way for the easiest conversation Minhyun ever experienced with anyone in this academy.

— with Kim Jonghyun, of all people, the leader of the Golden Deer, someone who he likely would have never spoken to if not for this competition debacle.

Maybe he owed Professor Chiyeol an apology, huh?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hellooo just wanted to flesh out the universe, the side characters, and the main two for a bit !!! a lot of this fic will really be coming of age stuff (aka me processing my own teenage issues through my writing LMAO)
> 
> follow me on [twitter (@amenochieien)](https://twitter.com/amenochieien) or talk to me on [curiouscat (/amenochieien)](https://curiouscat.me/amenochieien)!!


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